Marines, Army Seek More Powerful Rifle Round

The Marine Corps and Army are working together to develop a rifle round that is more powerful than the current 5.56mm round now in use. A senior Marine Corps official told an audience at the Navy League’s recent Sea-Air-Space exposition in Oxon Hill, Md., that both services are concerned that the current round is not strong enough to penetrate the body armor plates enemy fighters are wearing, Military.com reported. The Army has made their dissatisfaction known for a while, and is experimenting with several possible replacements for the round, the M249 squad automatic weapon, and the M4 carbine — all of which would be more robust. Military.com wrote that the Marines have decided to buy more M27 5.56 infantry automatic rifles. The announcement of the joint effort marked the first time the service publicly confirmed its desire to seek a better round. It is unclear, however, whether development of the new round would move the Corps toward adaptation of a new squad weapon.